Yi Ji ( 200s–221),

courtesy name A courtesy name (), also known as a style name, is a name bestowed upon one at adulthood in addition to one's given name. This practice is a tradition in the East Asian cultural sphere, including China, Japan, Korea, and Vietnam.Ulrich Theo ...

Jibo, was a Chinese diplomat and politician serving in the state of

Shu Han Han (; 221–263), known in historiography as Shu Han ( ) or Ji Han ( "Junior Han"), or often shortened to Shu (; pinyin: ''shŭ'' <

Three Kingdoms The Three Kingdoms () from 220 to 280 AD was the tripartite division of China among the dynastic states of Cao Wei, Shu Han, and Eastern Wu. The Three Kingdoms period was preceded by the Eastern Han dynasty and was followed by the West ...

period of China. He previously served under the warlord

Liu Biao Liu Biao () () (151 – September 208), courtesy name Jingsheng, was a Chinese military general, politician, and warlord who lived in the late Eastern Han dynasty of China. He is best known for serving as the Governor of Jing Province (coveri ...

in the late

Eastern Han dynasty The Han dynasty (, ; ) was an Dynasties in Chinese history, imperial dynasty of China (202 BC – 9 AD, 25–220 AD), established by Emperor Gaozu of Han, Liu Bang (Emperor Gao) and ruled by the House of Liu. The dynasty was preceded by th ...

before coming to serve

Liu Bei Liu Bei (, ; ; 161 – 10 June 223), courtesy name Xuande (), was a warlord in the late Eastern Han dynasty who founded the state of Shu Han in the Three Kingdoms period and became its first ruler. Although he was a distant relative of the ...

, the founding emperor of Shu Han. Yi Ji was known as an excellent debater and helped write the ''Shu Ke'' (), the legal code of Shu, along with

Zhuge Liang Zhuge Liang ( zh, t=諸葛亮 / 诸葛亮) (181 – September 234), courtesy name Kongming, was a Chinese statesman and military strategist. He was chancellor and later regent of the state of Shu Han during the Three Kingdoms period. He is ...

Fa Zheng Fa Zheng (176–220), courtesy name Xiaozhi, was a key adviser to the warlord Liu Bei in the late Eastern Han dynasty. Born in a family of high social status and of noble descent, Fa Zheng travelled to Yi Province (covering present-day Sichuan ...

, Li Yan and

Liu Ba Liu Ba (died 222), courtesy name Zichu, was an official in the state of Shu Han during the Three Kingdoms period of China. He originally served under the warlord Liu Zhang before becoming a subordinate of Liu Bei (the founding emperor of Shu) a ...

Life

Yi Ji was from

Shanyang Commandery Shanyang Commandery ( zh, 山陽郡) was a historical commandery in China, located in present-day southern Shandong province. In early Han dynasty, Shanyang was part of the Liang Kingdom. In 144 BC, Liang was split into five kingdoms among the s ...

(), which covered roughly the area around present-day

Juye County Juye () is a county in western Shandong province which is under the administration of Heze municipality. The county is 1,303 square km in area and has a population of approximately 910,000. History Juye originally belonged to Huxi prefecture. Q ...

Shandong Shandong ( , ; ; Chinese postal romanization, alternately romanized as Shantung) is a coastal Provinces of China, province of the China, People's Republic of China and is part of the East China region. Shandong has played a major role in His ...

. At a young age, he became a subordinate of fellow Shanyang man

the Governor of

Jing Province Jingzhou or Jing Province was one of the Nine Provinces of ancient China referenced in Chinese historical texts such as the '' Tribute of Yu'', ''Erya'' and '' Rites of Zhou''. Jingzhou became an administrative division during the reign of Empe ...

(covering present-day

Hubei Hubei (; ; alternately Hupeh) is a landlocked province of the People's Republic of China, and is part of the Central China region. The name of the province means "north of the lake", referring to its position north of Dongting Lake. The p ...

and

Hunan Hunan (, ; ) is a landlocked province of the People's Republic of China, part of the South Central China region. Located in the middle reaches of the Yangtze watershed, it borders the province-level divisions of Hubei to the north, Jiangx ...

) at a time when Liu Biao held the rank of General Defending the South, a position given by Li Jue's junta, placing the start of service at 192 at earliest. In the early 200s, when the warlord

sought shelter under Liu Biao after his defeat by his rival

Cao Cao Cao Cao () (; 155 – 15 March 220), courtesy name Mengde (), was a Chinese statesman, warlord and poet. He was the penultimate grand chancellor of the Eastern Han dynasty, and he amassed immense power in the dynasty's final years. As one o ...

, Liu Biao offered to let him stay in

Xinye County Xinye () is one of the counties of Nanyang that lies in the southwest of Henan province, China. To the south lies the prefecture-level city of Xiangyang in Hubei province, to the east is Tanghe County and to the west is the county-level city ...

in northern Jing Province. Yi Ji met Liu Bei several times around the time and became an acquaintance of Liu Bei. After Liu Biao's death in 208, his younger son Liu Cong, who succeeded him, surrendered to Cao Cao when Cao led his forces on a campaign in southern China. Yi Ji joined Liu Bei on a journey southward towards Xiakou (夏口; present-day

Wuhan Wuhan (, ; ; ) is the capital of Hubei Province in the People's Republic of China. It is the largest city in Hubei and the most populous city in Central China, with a population of over eleven million, the ninth-most populous Chinese city a ...

, Hubei), which was guarded by Liu Biao's elder son Liu Qi and was independent of Cao Cao's control. Yi Ji became an official under Liu Bei since then. In the 210s, after Liu Bei seized control of

Yi Province Yizhou (益州), Yi Province or Yi Prefecture, was a '' zhou'' (province) of ancient China. Its capital city was Chengdu.de Crespigny, p. 256. During the Han dynasty, it included the commanderies Hanzhong, Ba, Guanghan, Shu, Wenshan, Jianwei, ...

(covering present-day

Sichuan Sichuan (; zh, c=, labels=no, ; zh, p=Sìchuān; alternatively romanized as Szechuan or Szechwan; formerly also referred to as "West China" or "Western China" by Protestant missions) is a province in Southwest China occupying most of t ...

and

Chongqing Chongqing ( or ; ; Sichuanese pronunciation: , Standard Mandarin pronunciation: ), alternately romanized as Chungking (), is a municipality in Southwest China. The official abbreviation of the city, "" (), was approved by the State Co ...

) from its governor Liu Zhang, Yi Ji followed Liu Bei to

Chengdu Chengdu (, ; simplified Chinese: 成都; pinyin: ''Chéngdū''; Sichuanese pronunciation: , Standard Chinese pronunciation: ), alternatively romanized as Chengtu, is a sub-provincial city which serves as the capital of the Chinese provin ...

, the capital of Yi Province. Liu Bei, who held the nominal appointment of General of the Left () under the Han central government then, appointed Yi Ji as an Assistant Officer of the Household () under him. Liu Bei's treatment of Yi Ji was second to that of

Jian Yong Jian Yong ( 180s–210s), courtesy name Xianhe, was a Chinese politician serving under the warlord Liu Bei in the late Eastern Han dynasty of China. He started working under Liu Bei since the very beginning of Liu Bei's career; he originally ser ...

Sun Qian Sun Qian (died 214),, sometimes known as Sun Gan, courtesy name Gongyou, was a Chinese diplomat and official serving under the warlord Liu Bei in the late Eastern Han dynasty of China. His talent was noted by the scholar Zheng Xuan. So Liu Bei ...

and others. Liu Bei later sent Yi Ji as a messenger to Jiangdong (or Wu) to meet the warlord

Sun Quan Sun Quan (, Chinese: 孫權) (183 – 21 May 252), courtesy name Zhongmou (), posthumously known as Emperor Da of Wu, was the founder of the Eastern Wu dynasty, one of the Three Kingdoms of China. He inherited control of the warlord regime ...

, Liu's ally in their war against Cao Cao. Sun Quan had heard of Yi Ji's debating skills before and he wanted to test Yi. When Yi Ji met Sun Quan, he knelt down to pay his respects. Sun Quan asked: "Are you tired of serving an incompetent lord?" Yi Ji replied: "I just need to kneel down and pay my respects and then stand up. This isn't tiring to me." Yi Ji's quick thinking was as such. Sun Quan was deeply impressed by him. After the fall of the Han dynasty in 220, Yi Ji served in the state of

Shu Han Han (; 221–263), known in historiography as Shu Han ( ) or Ji Han ( "Junior Han"), or often shortened to Shu (; pinyin: ''shŭ'' <

period. He was promoted to the position of General of Illustrious Writing (). He drafted the laws of Shu with

and Li Yan. The records of his life ends with his work on the ''Shu Ke'', the laws of Shu.

Appraisal

Chen Shou Chen Shou (; 233–297), courtesy name Chengzuo (), was a Chinese historian, politician, and writer who lived during the Three Kingdoms period and Jin dynasty of China. Chen Shou is most known for his most celebrated work, the '' Records of ...

, who wrote Yi Ji's biography, commented as follows: "Mi Zhu, Sun Qian, Jian Yong and Yi Ji were refined and cultured persons whose ideas were widely circulated. They were well known for their good observation of the proprieties."(麋笁、孫乾、簡雍、伊籍，皆雍容風議，見禮於世。) ''Sanguozhi'' vol. 38.

In ''The Records In Plain Language''

First appears in the conquest of Yi, sent by Yi Ji to persuade the disaffected Zhang Yi to surrender Ziwu, where he had been held off Zhao Yun and then Zhang Fei. After the fall of Chengdu,

Ma Chao Ma Chao () (176–222), courtesy name Mengqi, was a Chinese military general and warlord who lived in the late Eastern Han dynasty and early Three Kingdoms period of China. A descendant of the general Ma Yuan, Ma Chao was the eldest son of Ma ...

arrived with thirty thousand troops and after wounding

Wei Yan Wei Yan () (died October 234), courtesy name Wenchang, was a Chinese military general and politician of the state of Shu Han during the Three Kingdoms period of China. Originally a subordinate of the warlord Liu Bei in the late Eastern Han dyna ...

with an arrow, Yi Ji was sent by Liu Bei to persuade Ma Chao to surrender. Assigned the key defensive point of Yangping Pass, Liu Bei heads there when Cao Cao pushes on from conquest of Hanzhong and decides to push on into Liu Bei's new lands. Ma Chao is assigned with Yu Ji to help protect Yangping but Ma Chao is drunk and the pass falls to

Zhang Liao Zhang Liao () (169–222), courtesy name Wenyuan, was a Chinese military general serving under the warlord Cao Cao in the late Eastern Han dynasty of China. He served briefly in the state of Cao Wei, founded by Cao Cao's successor Cao Pi, in the ...

. Yi Ji flees with less then a hundred horsemen back to Liu Bei after heavy pursuit by Cao Cao during the night. After Liu Bei's death, reports of Yong Kai's revolt with the three southern cities and alliance with King Meng Huo though Zhuge Liang had already foreseen this would happen. During Zhuge Liang's third northern campaign when Zhuge Liang and

Sima Yi Sima Yi ( ; 179 CE – 7 September 251 CE), courtesy name Zhongda, was a Chinese military general, politician, and regent of the state of Cao Wei during the Three Kingdoms period of China. He formally began his political career in 208 un ...

are stalemated near Jieting, dismisses rumours at court that Zhuge Liang has rebelled and suggests Emperor

Liu Shan Liu Shan () (207–271), courtesy name Gongsi, was the second and last emperor of the state of Shu Han during the Three Kingdoms period. As he ascended the throne at the age of 16, Liu Shan was entrusted to the care of the Chancellor Zhuge ...

summon Zhuge Liang to see if Zhuge Liang will come, proving Zhuge Liang's loyalty. As Yu Ji expected, Zhuge Liang obeyed the summons and blamed the matter as a trick by Sima Yi. Upon Sun Quan's death, Yi Ji sent with thousand strings worth of gold and gems to offer condolences and ensure Eastern Wu didn't cause trouble.

In ''The Romance of the Three Kingdoms''

Yi Ji first appears in chapter 34 as an officer of Liu Biao, warning Liu Bei his Dilu horse is cursed but convinced by Liu Bei's argument that man's life is governed by fate rather than horse. Liu Bei was fond of Yi Ji and Liu Qi would send Yi Ji to Liu Bei to inform him of Liu Biao's death and the Cai's machinations, asking for reinforcements though Liu Bei already knew after capturing Liu Cong's messenger to Cao Cao. Urged Liu Bei to seize Liu Cong but Liu Bei refused and him Yi Ji to prepare defences in Jiangxia as Liu Bei prepared to flee south. After Liu Bei took parts of Jing following on from Chibi, Yi Ji finds Liu Bei and advises him to hire Ma Liang to provide strategy then joined Liu Bei's staff. When Zhuge Liang and Zhang Fei were summoned to help with the invasion of Yi, Zhuge Liang appointed Yi Ji to

Guan Yu Guan Yu (; ), courtesy name Yunchang, was a Chinese military general serving under the warlord Liu Bei during the late Eastern Han dynasty of China. Along with Zhang Fei, he shared a brotherly relationship with Liu Bei and accompanied him on ...

's civil staff, on list of those rewarded when Liu Bei conquered Yi. In 215, Zhang Lu surrendered Hanzhong to Cao Cao and Liu Bei became concerned that Cao Cao would attack Yi so Zhuge Liang sent Yi Ji to Sun Quan with an offer of Jing if Sun Quan would attack Hefei and thus draw Cao Cao's attention away from Yi, Sun Quan agreed to do so. In 219, Guan Yu discovered Wu had seized his base in Jing so sent Ma Liang and Yi Ji to Yi to seek aid but on the day they arrived, news came of Guan Yu's death. Was promoted on Liu Bei becoming Emperor.

References

* Chen, Shou (3rd century). ''

Records of the Three Kingdoms The ''Records or History of the Three Kingdoms'', also known by its Chinese name as the Sanguo Zhi, is a Chinese historical text which covers the history of the late Eastern Han dynasty (c. 184–220 AD) and the Three Kingdoms period (220� ...

'' (''Sanguozhi''). * Guanzhong, Luo.

Romance Of The Three Kingdoms ''Romance of the Three Kingdoms'' () is a 14th-century historical novel attributed to Luo Guanzhong. It is set in the turbulent years towards the end of the Han dynasty and the Three Kingdoms period in Chinese history, starting in 184 AD ...

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Yi, Ji Year of birth unknown Year of death unknown Han dynasty diplomats Han dynasty politicians from Shandong Han dynasty writers Officials under Liu Bei Liu Biao and associates People from Juye County Politicians from Heze Shu Han politicians Three Kingdoms diplomats Writers from Heze

Life

Appraisal

In ''The Records In Plain Language''

In ''The Romance of the Three Kingdoms''

See also

References